UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  agricultural  experiment  station 

COLLEGE   OF  AGRICULTURE  E.  J.  WlCKSON,  Acting  Director 

BERKELEY,   CALIFORNIA 


CIRCULAR  No.  33. 

(August,  1907.) 


I.    PACKING  PRUNES  IN  CANS. 
II.    CANE  SUGAR  vs.  BEET  SUGAR. 

By  G.  W.  SHAW. 


PACKING  PRUNES  IN  CANS. 


In  October,  1905,  in  cooperation  with  Mr.  Luther  Bowers,  then  of 
Santa  Clara,  an  experiment  was  undertaken  in  packing  prunes  in  cans. 
The  reasons  which  led  up  to  this  experiment  were,  the  desirability,  first, 
of  finding  some  method  of  preventing  the  sugaring  of  prunes  when 
shipped  into  tropical  climates ;  second,  of  finding  a  method  whereby 
a  grower  could  easily  undertake  the  packing  of  his  own  prunes,  espe- 
cially those  of  fancy  grade,  if  he  so  desired.  It  was  the  object  of  this 
experiment  to  enable  canned  prunes  to  be  put  on  the  market  in  their 
natural  state  without  any  form  of  "processing,"  and  in  an  inviting, 
pliable  condition.  There  has  always  been  an  objection  raised  by  many 
consumers  to  the  so-called  "processing"  which  the  fruit  undergoes  at 
the  hands  of  many  packers,  by  which  a  poor  quality  of  fruit  is  so 
covered  up  by  various  methods  as  to  make  it  appear  much  better  than 
the  real  quality  of  the  fruit  would  warrant.  The  particular  charac- 
teristic desired  by  many  consumers  is  absolute  protection  against 
foreign  matter  of  any  kind  in  the  fruit  purchased.  It  is  safe  to  say 
that  in  most  cases  prunes,  as  ordinarily  placed  upon  the  market,  have 
been  subjected  to  a  variety  of  treatments  before  they  reach  the  hands 
of  the  consumer. 

In  this  experiment  250  pounds  of  prunes  of  size  30  to  40,  of  excellent 
quality,  were  dry-packed,  under  pressure,  in  the  so-called  "sanitary 
cans,"  and  hermetically  sealed.  These  were  subsequently  sterilized 
by  the  application  of  heat.  The  prunes  were  packed  in  the  ordinary 
214-pound  can.  Two  cases  of  these  were  subsequently  shipped  to  the 
Philippines,  where  they  were  held  under  most  unfavorable  conditions 
for  a  period  of  a  year,  and  finally  returned  to  the  Station  for  exam- 
ination.   Under  ordinary  treatment  prunes  in  that  climate  would  have 


—  2  — 

been  entirely  "sugared,"  thus  materially  lessening  their  market  value. 
These  prunes  were  subsequently  submitted  to  many  experts,  and  the 
request  made  for  their  opinion  as  to  the  quality  of  the  prune.  The 
expression  of  some  of  these  brokers  is  hereto  appended : 

Sussman,  AVormser  &  Co.,  wholesale  grocers,  San  Francisco,  write? 
' '  The  quality  of  the  fruit  is  all  that  could  be  desired.  It  is  problemat- 
ical whether  the  domestic  trade  will  take  kindly  to  these  goods,  but  it 
appears  to  us  that  they  commend  themselves  for  shipment  to  the 
tropics. ' ' 

California  Fruit  Canners'  Association  writes:  "We  have  very  care- 
fully scrutinized  the  condition  of  these  goods,  and  find  them  all  that 
can  be  desired.  The  only  possible  objection  that  we  can  raise  against 
them  is  the  cost  of  packing  them  in  this  style.  We  assume  you  are 
aware  that  a  considerable  quantity  of  California  dried  fruits  is  suc- 
cessfully exported  to  India  in  tin-lined  cases,  results  being  very,  satis- 
factory. ' ' 

The  C.  S.  Morey  Mercantile  Company,  of  Denver,  says:  "We  are 
frank  to  say  that  we  were  surprised  at  the  excellent  quality  of  the 
goods,  and  believe  that  if  they  can  be  put  up  at  a  price  which  will 
enable  them  to  reach  the  great  consuming  public,  in  a  reasonable  compe- 
tition with  prunes  processed  in  the  ordinary  way  and  shipped  as  dried 
fruit,  these  goods  should  sell,  and  sell  readily.  So  far  as  the  flavor 
of  these  prunes  is  concerned  they  are  better,  in  the  writer's  estimation, 
than  any  prunes  we  have  ever  tasted." 

Paxton  &  Gallagher  Company,  Omaha,  Neb. :  ' '  Our  opinion  is  as 
follows :  If  the  prunes  can  be  packed  in  tins  to  sell  at  a  popular  price 
they  will  be  a  winner.  The  can  we  cut  was  in  perfect  condition,  and 
we  believe  they  will  sell  freely,  providing,  of  course,  they  can  be  placed 
on  the  market  to  retail  at  popular  prices." 

Cobb,  Bates  &  Yerxa  Co.,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  say:  "We  have  examined 
the  prunes,  and  find  the  quality  very  fine.  I  can  readily  see  that,  in 
the  style  of  package  which  you  have  sent,  the  prunes  will  keep  much 
better;  but,  in  our  climate,  that  is  not  a  matter  of  so  much  consider- 
ation. ' ' 

H.  C.  McKenzie,  broker,  Philadelphia,  Pa.:  "I  have  examined  the 
prunes  carefully;  the  goods  are  in  perfect  condition,  and  I  would  say 
that  if  these  goods  are  packed  in  ten-pound  tins,  twenty-five-pound 
tins  or  fifty-pound  tins,  they  should  have  a  good  commercial  value, 
particularly  in  hot  climates.  Some  of  the  Eastern  merchants  have 
packed  prunes  for  shipment  to  Jamaica,  the  Bermudas,  and  other 
warm  climates  for  some  years  past.  *  *  *  These  prunes  that  you 
have  packed  in  this  tin  are  of  very  good  quality,  and  I  should  say 
they  have  not  changed  any  since  the  day  you  packed  them. ' ' 


—  3  — 

From  these  letters  it  appears  that  notwithstanding  the  prunes  have 
been  subjected  to  nearly  two  years  of  unfavorable  storage,  yet  their 
condition  remains  essentially  the  same  as  when  placed  in  the  can.  The 
only  question  that  would  seem  to  arise  in  this  matter  is  the  possibility 
of  packing  them  in  cans  at  a  price  which  the  public  would  be  willing 
to  pay.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  said,  that  inasmuch  as  it  is 
proposed  to  pack  these  prunes  at  a  stage  when  they  carry  a  much  larger 
percentage  of  moisture  than  is  ordinarily  the  case  with  dried  fruit,  the 
increased  weight  of  the  product  due  to  this  extra  moisture  will,  in  all 
probability,  make  up  for  the  difference  in  the  cost  of  the  can,  and 
there  will  hardly  be  an  increase  in  the  cost  of  handling  the  fruit  in  so 
packing  it  over  that  of  a  processed  fruit,  because  it  will  do  away  with 
the  necessity  of  the  handling  due  to  that  operation  and  also  with  the 
cost  of  the  materials  used  in  " processing."  Prunes  so  packed  and 
sealed  can  be  guaranteed  and  kept  indefinitely  without  deterioration  or 
''sugaring."  One  of  the  great  advantages  of  this  process  is,  that  the 
grower  can  pack  his  fruit  in  either  the  dried  or  partially  dried  con- 
dition with  absolute  assurance  of  delivery  to  the  market  in  exactly  the 
same  condition  in  which  it  leaves  his  hands. 

It  is  but  fair  to  say  that,  since  this  experiment  was  undertaken,  Mr. 
Bowers  has  been  granted  a  patent  which  claims  to  cover  some  phases 
of  handling  prunes  in  this  manner. 


—  4  — 


CANE  SUGAR  vs.  BEET  SUGAR. 


The  relative  merits  of  sugar  from  beets  and  that  from  cane  have  been 
a  mooted  question  ever  since  beet  sugar  has  become  such  an  important 
factor  in  the  sugar  market.  The  friends  of  sugar  from  cane  early  in  the 
days  of  the  beet-sugar  industry  maintained  that  beet  sugar  was  repulsive, 
ill-flavored,  ill-looking,  and  entirely  inferior  to  cane  sugar.  As  soon 
as  it  was  found  that  sugar,  white  and  pure  from  a  technical  standpoint, 
could  be  made  in  the  beet-sugar  factory  directly  from  beets,  and  that 
this  sugar  would  analyze  as  close  to  100  per  cent,  as  the  product  from 
cane,  the  friends  of  the  latter  advanced  other  arguments,  especially  to 
the  effect  that  beet  sugar  could  not  be  used  for  various  purposes  for 
which  the  older  cane  product  had  long  been  employed.  Even  to-day  the 
question  is  often  under  discussion.  On  account  of  this,  and  the  numer- 
ous statements  made  in  public  meetings  and  in  the  columns  of  certain 
newspapers  that  beet  sugar  can  not  be  safely  used  for  purposes  of 
fruit  preserving  and  canning,  and  the  fact  that  this  idea  is  quite 
prevalent  among  housekeepers,  cannery  men,  and  confectioners,  certain 
experiments  were  undertaken  in  the  canning  of  fruit  and  the  making 
of  jellies,  using  beet  sugar,  and  checking  the  results  against  the  same 
kinds  of  fruits  prepared  in  the  same  manner  with  cane  sugar. 

The  Sources  of  the  Sugar. — The  sugar  from  cane  was  purchased  from 
the  Western  Sugar  Refinery,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  and  was  guaranteed 
to  be  from  cane.  The  sugar  tested  99.7  per  cent,  pure  sucrose.  The 
beet  sugar  was  made  directly  from  beets  grown  at  Oxnard,  Cal.,  and 
was  manufactured  by  the  American  Beet  Sugar  Company,  the  sugar 
having  been  donated  by  that  company  for  the  purposes  of  this  test. 
Analysis  showed  this  sugar  to  be  99.8  per  cent,  pure  sugar,  and  thus 
fully  equal  to  the  cane  product  in  sugar  value.  Both  of  these  sugars 
had  been  " blued"  with  ultramarine  after  the  common  practice  in  sugar 
manufacture,  and  thus  was  not  different  from  the  sugar  found  on  the 
market. 

The  Fruit  and  the  Method. — The  fruit  used  in  the  experiments  com- 
prised cherries,  apricots,  plums,  peaches,  and  pears.  Each  of  these  was 
preserved  in  different  strengths  of  syrup  in  the  ordinary  methods  of 
canning  employed  in  the  commercial  canneries,  as  well  as  after  the 
methods  followed  in  the  household  practice  of  canning  and  jelly- 
making. 


In  the  cannery  the  method  of  procedure  was  to  make  up  a  concen- 
trated sugar  solution  by  dissolving  350  pounds  of  sugar  in  tanks,  as 
shown  in  Figure  1,  and  then  reducing  the  concentrated  solution  to  the 
desired  density  by  transferring  a  quantity  of  the  concentrated  solution 
to  a  tank  reserved  for  that  strength  of  solution,  and  reducing  the  density 
to  the  desired  degree  as  shown  on  a  spindle.  In  the  case  of  apricots, 
both  peeled  and  unpeeled  fruit  were  put  up  after  the  ordinary  cannery 
methods,  and  in  the  regular  course  of  work  with  syrup  showing  40  per 
cent,  sugar;  with  green-gage  plums,  10  per  cent,  syrup  was  used;  with 
pears,  10,  15,  20,  30,  40  and  55  per  cent,  syrup  respectively  was  used, 
and  with  peaches  40  per  cent,  syrup.  In  most  instances  all  these 
strengths  were  used  both  in 
the  case  of  sugar  from  cane 
and  sugar  from  beets,  but  in 
the  case  of  one  cannery  only 
beet  sugar  was  used. 

In  the  making  of  the  syrup 
some  difference  was  noted  in 
the  action  of  different  grades 
of  sugar.  The  beet  sugar 
caused  the  more  froth  in  the 
making  of  syrup,  but  further 
investigation  led  to  the  con- 
clusion that  this  was  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  granulation 
of  the  beet  sugar  was  much 
finer  than  that  of  the  cane, 
therefore  causing  more  air  to 
become  entangled  during  the 
stirring  than  in  the  case  of 
the  sugar  from  cane.  This 
was  shown  by  the  use  of  cane 
sugar  of  about  the  same  gran- 
ulation in  another  batch  of  syrup,  in  which  case  the  same  frothing 
occurred  as  with  the  beet  product.  This  has  been  noted  in  other  in- 
stances, and  canners  are  wont  to  count  this  against  the  beet  sugar,  but  it 
is  only  the  result  of  not  comparing  sugars  of  the  same  granulation.  This 
difference  in  the  action  due  to  difference  of  granulation  was  the  only 
apparent  difference  arising  during  the  making  of  the  syrup.  This  is 
not  an  essential  difference  between  these  sugars,  however,  as  the  char- 
acter of  the  granulation  is  entirely  dependent  upon  the  wish  of  the 
manufacturer,  the  methods  of  boiling  and  granulation  being  the  same 
in  both  cases.     The  sugar  ordinarily  used  by  the  canners  is  known  as 


FIG.    1.      Syrup   Tanks. 


dry,  coarse,  granulated — a  grade  which  is  not  commonly  made  by  the 
beet  sugar  manufacturers,  because  there  has  not  yet  been  the  demand 
sufficient  to  warrant  its  production,  but  it  could  be  made  by  them 
as  readily  as  the  ordinary  granulation. 

The  several  kinds  of  fruit  were  placed  in  cases  in  the  ordinary 
manner,  and  stored'  in  a  rather  unfavorable  location  for  a  period  of 
two  years,  cans  of  each  variety  being  opened  from  time  to  time  to 
observe  the  change,  if  any.    Of  the  2,000  cans  which  were  thus  treated 

only  6  cans  from  the  beet- 
sugar  lot  and  7  from 
the  cane-sugar  lot  spoiled 
during  the  two  years,  and 
these  were  evidently  due  to 
imperfect  sealing  of  the 
cans,  thus  showing  the 
utter  lack  of  foundation 
for  the  idea  that  fruits  do 
not  keep  well  when  pre- 
served with  beet  sugar,  and 
that  such  sugar  does  not 
work  well  in  the  cannery. 
In  the  household  trials 
both  apricots  and  peaches 
were  canned  in  a  40  per 
cent,  syrup,  50  cans  in 
each  lot,  the  ordinary 
Mason  jars  being  used  as 
containers  in  each  case. 
From  these  not  a  single 
can  spoiled  during  the  two- 
year  period. 

In  the  jelly  trials  apples 
and  currants  were  used  as  the  basis,  equal  quantities  of  juice  and  sugar 
being  used,  and  the  mixture  boiled  until  of  the  right  consistency  to  jell. 
The  product  in  each  case  was  as  clear  as  it  is  possible  for  jelly  to  be, 
and  not  the  slightest  difficulty  was  experienced  in  the  making  of  it. 

In  connection  with  this  work  an  attempt  was  made  to  trace  numerous 
reports  to  the  effect  that  fruit  had  been  lost  through  the  use  of 
beet  sugar,  but  in  not  a  single  case  was  it  found  that  the  person  so 
losing  fruit  positively  knew  that  the  sugar  from  the  beet  had  been 
used.  The  following  is  typical  of  all  of  the  answers  received  to  letters 
of  inquiry  on  the  subject : 


FIG.  2.      Syruping  Apparatus  used  in  Experiment. 


''I  know  nothing  of  the  relative  merits  of  beet  sugar  and  the  cane 
sugar,  and  merely  stated  that  I  had  been  told  that  the  one  was  sweeter 
than  the  other,  and  a  lady  at  the  table  stated  that  some  years  ago  she 
had  been  given  to  understand  that  beet  sugar  was  not  good  to  put  up 
preserves. ' ' 

The  general  discussion  was  based  on  this  subject,  without  any  per- 
sonal experience,  and  entirely  upon  hearsay  evidence.  Writing  concern- 
ing this  subject,  one  of  the  largest  and  best  known  preservers  of 
California  fruit  says : 

"We  have  used  this  (beet  sugar)  very  largely  in  our  work  for  the  past 
four  or  five  years,  using  it  almost  exclusively  in  our  fruit  department, 
and  we  put  up  as  fine  goods  as  can  be  made.  We  think  that  alone  speaks 
well  for  beet  sugar.  While  it  will  not  cook  quite  as  white  as  the  cane 
sugar  and  boils  easier,  yet  with  most  goods  we  find  it  is  fully  as  good  as 
the  cane  sugar. 

"We  do  not  use  any  antiseptics  whatever  in  our  fruits  and  have  no 
trouble  with  the  keeping  qualities.  Any  other  information  we  can  give 
you,  we  will  be  glad  to." 

The  secret  of  success  in  canning  lies  in  a  perfect  sterilizing  of  the 
fruit  and  syrup,  and  one  of  the  canners  in  replying  to  an  inquiry  as 
to  their  use  of  beet  sugar  expressed  the  matter  very  tersely  in  the 
following  words : 

"While  we  have  not  so  far  used  beet  sugar,  yet  we  believe  we  would 
have  no  more  difficulty  in  sterilizing  beet-sugar  syrup  than  cane-sugar 
syrup  or  water." 

In  the  early  days  of  sugar  refining  there  may  possibly  have  been 
some  foundation  for  an  objection  of  this  kind,  but  it  certainly  does 
not  exist  to-day  with  the  most  modern  methods  of  manufacture  adopted 
by  the  beet-sugar  houses.  The  sugar  which  is  used  by  the  larger 
canners  is  made  without  the  ordinary  bluing  used  in  other  sugars. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  bluing  which  have  been  used  upon  sugar, 
viz.,  methyl  blue  and  ultramarine  blue.  The  former  coloring  matter 
is  undoubtedly  open  to  the  objection  that  in  contact  with  certain 
acids  it  is  either  intensified  in  color,  or  if  the  color  of  the  fruit  is 
yellow  it  imparts  a  greenish  tinge,  both  of  which  undesirable  con- 
ditions were  experienced  in  the  early  days  of  sugar  manufacture. 
Methyl  blue,  however,  is  seldom  used  for  this  purpose  to-day,  ultra- 
marine blue  being  used  instead.  About  two  pounds  of  this  material 
being  used  for  100,000  pounds  of  sugar. 

The  utter  folly  of  this  idea  that  beet  sugar  can  not  be  used  for 
canning  purposes  is  further  emphasized  by  the  fact  that  practically 
all  the  sugar  used  in  Germany  and  France  for  the  purposes  of  canning 


8  — 


and  preserving  is  from  the  beet,  and  for  many  years  American  refined 
beet  sugar  was  used  without  complaint  in  this  country,  because  the 
mass  of  the  people  were  not  aware  that  it  was  derived  from  the  beet. 
This  sugar  was  brought  here  as  raw  sugar  from  Europe,  refined  at 
American  refineries,  and  consumers  purchased  it  under  the  false  idea 
that  it  was  cane  sugar. 

But  as  the  industry  began  to  grow  rapidly  in  the  United  States 
attention  was  directed  to  the  source  of  sugar,  and  there  has  arisen  this 
popular  error,  which  may  have  been  somewhat  fostered  by  interested 
parties. 

People  have  become  so  accustomed  to  the  term  "cane  sugar"  that 
they  do  not  realize  that  within  the  last  few  years  the  bulk  of  the  world 's 

sugar  supply  has  shifted 
from  cane  to  beet.  In 
1853  the  world's  sugar 
supply  was  1,184,000 
long  tons,  of  which 
304,000  tons  were  ac- 
credited to  the  sugar 
beet,  or  about  21  per 
cent.  In  1905  practi- 
cally two  thirds  of  the 
world's  sugar  was  de- 
rived from  the  sugar 
beet. 

The  growth  of  the  in- 
dustry in  the  United 
States  has  been  second 
only  to  its  growth  in  the  sugar  world.  As  an  American  industry  it  is 
less  than  forty  years  old,  for  it  was  in  1869  that  the  first  plant  to 
manufacture  beet  sugar  successfully  in  a  commercial  way  was  erected 
in  California.  For  the  first  twenty  years  the  industry  grew  but  slowly, 
so  that  in  1890  there  were  but  three  factories.  Before  the  close  of  1901, 
however,  the  number  had  increased  to  30  (increase  of  900  per  cent,  in 
ten  years),  while  in  1906  the  number  of  factories  in  operation  in  the 
United  States  was  61,  an  increase  of  over  100  per  cent,  in  the  past  six 
years,  and  several  new  ones  are  scheduled  for  the  campaign  of  1907, 
not  to  mention  others  operating  in  Canada. 

"We  must  admit,  then,  that  the  industry  is  quite  beyond  the 
experimental  stage  and  has  become  a  reality  in  this  country,  and  a 
factor  worthy  the  attention  of  the  people.  It  is  highly  desirable  that 
the  use  of  beet  sugar  should  be  encouraged  in  every  way  possible, 
and  that  such  mistaken  ideas  as  those  indicated  at  the  outset  of  this 
discussion  should  be  corrected. 


FIG.   3.     Jelly   made   with   Beet   Sugar. 


